Agriculture rules S.J. economy

Warm afternoons followed by a cool Delta breeze in the evenings, good soil and a mild rainy season typically make the greater San Joaquin Valley the envy of farmers elsewhere.

Mark Godi

Warm afternoons followed by a cool Delta breeze in the evenings, good soil and a mild rainy season typically make the greater San Joaquin Valley the envy of farmers elsewhere.

These conditions have helped agriculture become the valley's lifeblood. The industry has largely held up in difficult economic times, posting a record $2.2 billion in gross production according to the 2011 San Joaquin County Agriculture report.

Some farmers in the nut and wine industries have benefited from a growing demand overseas and good marketing. Meanwhile, others, like some dairy farmers, struggled to make a profit despite topping the county in 2011 with 20 percent of gross production.

The 2012 agriculture report isn't due out until summer, but San Joaquin Farm Bureau Federation Executive Director Bruce Blodgett is expecting similar numbers to 2011. He is a retired fifth-generation farmer who moved to the area in the 1960s.

"I think 2012's (gross) numbers are going to beat last year," Blodgett said. "Grapes did well and I think could unseat dairy as No. 1.

"Walnuts are up. Almonds are up. Cherries did well. Cattle, not so much. ... And then there's the poor dairy guys."

Escalon dairy farmers Frank and Carol Borba are among those who have seen the changes in the business. They own FDB Holsteins and Jerseys, with Frank a second-generation dairyman and Carol a third. Daughter Natalie also recently started her own dairy.

Rising expenses, feed cost and regulated milk prices have made breaking even difficult. According to the California Dairy Commission's weekly report, the north valley farmers averaged a loss of $2 per cow per month from July through September.

Borba said he knows of "at least seven" area dairies that stopped operating in the last four or five years. His said his friend Ed Bracco sold his dairy business and got into walnut farming.

Provisions were drawn up last year in a farm bill proposal to help dairy farmers, but it did not get approved.

"A lot of farmers are doing well," Frank Borba said. "It's just not the dairy farmers. We need control of our product and not overproduce."

Borba has four grandchildren, but it's his 900 cows that he calls his "babies." Getting out of the business is something he's considered.

"I told myself that if I have one good year in the next three or four, I'm going to retire," Borba said. "But it would be hard. I mean, I enjoy golfing and fishing, but working (as a dairyman) is just in me."

Almonds were ranked fourth in the county in 2011 and continue trending according to expert Brent Holtz, director and farm adviser for University of California Cooperative Extension San Joaquin County.

The Almond Board of California's annual convention outgrew Modesto and took place last December at the Sacramento Convention Center.

"There are a lot of almonds going in in San Joaquin County and a lot of new almond growers," Holtz said. "Almonds surpassed grapes in the state for the first time as a commodity last year and I believe over half of them got exported."

Looking forward, the future of agriculture appears to depend a lot on government projects. The planned high-speed rail system connecting Northern and Southern California could cost the area farmland. The proposed peripheral canal project aimed at diverting water down south could also hurt farmers.

"Something has to be done about water storage (and the peripheral canal)," Blodgett said. "If not, the Delta will crash.

"Look at it this way. If you take from the pie, the pie gets smaller. Then where do we go to for water?"

The political side of the business is what Calaveras High agriculture teacher Jason Weatherby wants to get through to the next generation. He also coaches football and has a small beef cattle business.

"There is this whole growing political aspect that kids are going to have to understand," Weatherby said. "There are a lot of standards for safety. Farmers have to jump through a lot of hoops. They are going to be regulated to death and need to know what the rules are."